Biden calls Ecuadorian president over Edward Snowden's asylum request

By AFP

Sunday, June 30, 2013

AROMO, Ecuador — President Rafael Correa said Saturday he has spoken with US Vice President Joe Biden about Edward Snowden, and that the American official asked Ecuador to reject the fugitive intelligence leaker’s asylum request.

Correa said the conversation took place Friday and Biden “passed on a polite request from the United States to reject the request”.

White House officials confirmed Saturday the phone call took place.

“They did discuss Snowden, but I don’t have additional details,” Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters travelling with President Barack Obama in Africa.

Snowden, currently holed up at a Moscow airport transit area after fleeing from Hong Kong, has requested asylum in Ecuador.

Ecuador has said it is willing to consider the petition but only when Snowden is physically in the South American country.

Ecuador has granted refuge to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange at its embassy in London.

Correa made his remarks on the Snowden case in a weekly address to the people of Ecuador, this time from the coastal town of Aromo.

He said the Internet and phone surveillance programs that the former National Security Agency subcontractor revealed amount to the biggest espionage case in history.

What the United States needs to do, Correa said, is explain those once secret programs rather than focus on catching Snowden and “tear apart a president, government or country that dares to say it will process an asylum request if it receives one”.